“Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.”
Deuteronomy 32:2
I will start my blog this week off by being brutally honest. It was crazy. All in one day, an autistic student in the class had a melt down, a student came out of the class bathroom with their pants all the way down, a parent send a very disturbing note to my CE, and to top it all off multiple students were sent home with lice. Welcome to elementary school ladies and gentlemen. But still being honest, it was great. I wouldn't trade this for the whole world. Along with all of those things, I saw students learn new things for the first time and light up, I received my first painting from a student, I saw kindness and manners in students that gave me hope, and students fought over who was going to hold my hand while walking through the halls (which doesn't sound good, but it made me feel pretty great).
I often hear that in teaching it is very easy to get burnt out. We set often set expectations for ourselves that we can't meet or too get too caught up in saving everyone. The fact of the matter is, we can't do it all. We need to accept that so that we won't ever get to that point. Once we reach that point, it often becomes about surviving. I also worry that by the end of student teaching we will barely surviving.
Personally, I don't want to survive. I want to thrive. I read an article this week that gives some steps that can help a person shift from surviving to thriving. We can already start practicing these things so that we can thrive from the beginning.
1. Become a good listener
2. Find and add to multiple PLNs
3. Know when to shut your door
4. Be creative
5. Be a human being
6. Know your sweet spots
7. Reflect, reflect, reflect
8. Be nervous
9. Don't take yourself too seriously
10. Have your own quality standards
This article goes into more detail, so I strongly encourage you to just glance at it. This can be a great not only a great guide, but also an inspiration.
This article connects to all of the standards in some way. All of these things show teacher leadership. Multiple of these establishes a respectful environment. Knowing your sweet spots connects with knowing content. And of course reflecting is included. This guide is a way for us to work on and develop every aspect of the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards in some way.
Below is a link to the article. Check it out!
Great post Lauren! I like the "know when to shut your door" haha! I think in most careers and "jobs" we can easily get overwhelmed and burnt out. It is all about stress management and following these guidelines from Teach Thought. I feel like the lower grades are harder in a way because of many factors. Some might think all you do is learn ABC's and 123's but it is so much more than that. It is child development, human development AND teaching. I think you have a great outlook on this!
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ReplyDeleteLauren,
ReplyDeleteWow! What a day! I agree with you about wanting to thrive not just survive. You're right though, we aren't super heroes and we can't save them all (even though I really want to). I really like "Be a human being." I think it's so important that we show our kids that we are people too and that we have feelings and struggle with things as well. This week my CE was reading aloud from Frindle by Andrew Clements. The end of the book is quite the tear-jerker for those of us who love a good "aweeee" moment. My CE told the kids that she was probably going to have to pause in her reading because this part of the book made her cry. She then explained to them that she related to the teacher in the book because she wants to see her students succeed. Even though the 4th graders looked at her like she was crazy and none of them seemed emotionally affected by the ending I thought it was awesome that she was so real with the kids. It showed them that it's okay to be yourself. Thanks for sharing!
-Leslea
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI love the saying, "I do not want to just survive, I want to thrive". That really speaks volumes to me, because that should be everyone's mindset when we are teaching. If you are a teacher who is just surviving day by day, and not caring about anything, then your students will also have that mindset. We need to thrive in our classroom, and grow the little minds that we have in our class. Teaching is such a blessing, and I am so glad that you are enjoying that crazy parts too! Thank you for the helpful tips, on how to thrive in the classroom, and the website was super wonderful!
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteWOW! What a reality check. Like you stated, this craziness can (and will) happen often in elementary schools. What a great find in the article! I like those points and the article offers excellent advice! I know you learned this week!!!
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I love that you started with the craziness of you week because it sounds a lot like the week I had. I have noticed that it does get crazy and things are not always going to be smooth, however, the little things like you mentioned make it worth it. I really liked how you included the steps to thrive because Ill be honest, at times I'm only thinking about surviving! Those are GREAT! Great Job!